Who Wants A Wii U?

No, that alluring title is not an introduction to Gamers Association’s grandest giveaway of all time. Rather, it’s an honest question concerning Nintendo’s newest console after considering some informal evidence from the system’s first week on the streets.

Honestly, who wants a Wii U?

[Source: Nintendojo.com]

Let’s rewind our brains back a bit to the tail end of 2006 when hype for the Wii was obviously off the charts. I’ll never forget coming home from high school for weeks to have an automatic daily date with the telephone, calling every store in town with an electronics department to see if any received Wii shipments while I was whiling away the hours with the public school system — and, if so and more importantly, if any still had the system in stock. For anyone with other pressing priorities in life, the things were impossible to gets your hands on.

That sensation of finally finding one at the local ShopKo is still unlike anything I’ve ever experienced around a console launch. Admittedly, the high excitement didn’t persevere as predicted through the life cycle of the system. However, it was there nonetheless, and lives on in my memories.

To contrast with the present, GameStop continued to have Wii Us in stock a full hour after opening at midnight for Black Friday, despite the fact that the system launched five days before this extravagant annual shopping event. And this wasn’t a middle-of-nowhere GameStop, either. This wasn’t a connected-to-a-gas-station-in-a-backwater-barren-desert GameStop. No, this was a GameStop located within the largest shopping center for hundreds of miles. And it still had to send its employees out into the mall’s hallways to make the Wii U availability apparent.

Perhaps I should’ve expected something of this underwhelming sort beforehand when informal reports from Twitter were saying the same thing during actual launch events on Sunday. Many of my followers went New Console Questing less than an hour early to Targets, Wal-Marts, and Best Buys, only to be confronted with lines that were no more than five people thick. Surprisingly, nearly everyone who went hunting for one managed to obtain Nintendo’s new object of (maybe not so much) desire.

When checking store stocks Black Friday night, things got even weirder. Inspired by observations from Giant Bomb’s Jeff Gerstmann, I went online to search through the in-store inventories of my city’s big-box retailers. While Best Buy was sold out, both the nearby Wal-Mart and Target still had systems in stock. The former, in particular, even had the blatantly-better-deal 32GB Deluxe Set on its shelves. Even now, at this very moment, Wii Us remain available at these two stores within mere miles of my Minneapolis, Minnesota location.

So I ask again: Who wants a Wii U?

The Thanksgiving day paper, a slaughtered forest that could stop a bullet, didn’t even mention the Wii U in many of its gaming-related electronics advertisements, opting instead to showcase competitively-priced Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and even original Wii bundles. Personally, I offhandedly asked my own family about Nintendo’s Wii U. Although my parents own its predecessor — and Mom continues to use it as a Just Dance device – they had no idea that an evolution existed. My brother, a competitive Bro Gamer to the core who scored a solid 300 in Wii Sports bowling long before I gave up trying, hadn’t even heard of the thing. What’s more, none of them showed any interest in finding out more about the Wii U, let alone purchasing one. Like so many of us, maybe they were rightfully assuming outright that it simply isn’t for them.

Really, though, who wants a Wii U? And what will make the rest of us want a Wii U after all of that New Video Game System In Stores shininess says goodbye?

From what I’ve picked up through the all-knowing grapevine, most early adopters are apparently treating the system as an insurance policy. By safely securing the system when it’s available, they’re already prepared for the hopeful eventual flow of fantastic first-party Nintendo titles, never facing the future fears of not being able to find one when they need it most. For now, however, there isn’t much to do with it. New Super Mario Bros. U is what it is, and ZombiU, while quite good, is still a very niche title for a very niche market. Sure, Nintedo Land is a strong showcase of the multiple directions developers may go when creating games for the system, but it’s essentially nothing more than a collection of amusing tech demos. Pad the launch lineup with a few old ports and I cannot find a convincing reason to own the console at the current time.

May I ask why? At the current time, that is, given the released or announced titles.

http://www.facebook.com/JonathanRider Johnny Rider

Of course you may, there’s a lot of reason; the gamepad, Miiverse, the exclusives, the first party games, the definitive versions of multiplats, etc. I have the money for the consoles and nothing else I need with it at the moment, I’m bored with the current gen and I’m ready to move on, PS4 and 720 won’t be available until Q1 2014 at the earliest so why not?

http://twitter.com/TheMrFraz Luke Frazier

So valid; very formidable list of reasons. In all honesty, the amount of anecdotes I’ve heard out of the Miiverses from bad games makes me want the Wii U for nothing but that.

BitchSlap

Then you’re a moron.

danitanzo

I already have one… so does that mean I don’t want another or what?…

http://twitter.com/TheMrFraz Luke Frazier

No, actually, I’m wondering what made buying one so alluring to you.

Vampiric

the wii u has the best launch library EVER

http://www.facebook.com/JonathanRider Johnny Rider

Fact.

HCMF Gamer

Douche

Deku-Johnny

Little late to the party aren’t you?

HCMF Gamer

Hardly. You are as much of a douche now as you ever were. The sad truth is there was never a party. Unless your inner fanboy is to blind to notice, the U is as much a flop as everyone predicted it was. So again, you’re a douche!

Deku-Johnny

It’s a saying, the party was metaphorical. Have you got aspergers?

Also how on Midgard is the Wii U a flop? It’s making Nintendo money, by definition if they’re making more than they’re spending it’s a success. The 3DS didn’t do too well at first now it’s pretty much printing money, just wait till next year when there is a great line up of games for the U and business will be booming for the house of Mario. Go be a snob elsewhere and take ‘Gamer’ out of your name as you clearly aren’t one if you hate Nintendo.

HCMF Gamer

Just because I don’t suck the “dick” of a company doesn’t mean I don’t partake in its offerings. Do you think your the only one allowed to be metaphorical? I am a gamer beyond your comprehension. Your comment makes you a hypocrite. Read your own comments lately. You don’t even own a PS3 or a 360, yet it doesn’t seem to alter your douche bag comments. I on the other hand have owned every major console released in the past 33 years…while they were still being supported. As a matter of fact, 98% of the consoles I’ve owned in my lifetime were launch consoles with the exception of the Atari VCS (my first console I owned, purchased in ’80). Since then I’ve purchased plenty of duds at launch including your precious U. I even owned it before you because it launched in NA before it did in the UK. So what do you have to say now, you limey prick fanboy?

Deku-Johnny

A gamer beyond my comprehension? And you call me a douche? That’s pretty much the douchiest thing you could have said in this situation.

Also I do actually own a PS3 and by the end of the year I’ll own a PS4. Never cared for Xbox but then again who in their right mind does? And why is it if you’ve owned every console over the past 33 years you sound like a 12 year old on CoD? Seems legit.

Lastly, how does you owning a Wii U 12 days before me make any difference to whether it’s a great console or not (it is). You’re clearly just a Nintendo hater with no valid reason to be such a thing other than it being a popular opinion in the Western world lately. Lighten up, not everything is about MEGAGRAFICZ!!1 and grey, bland shooters.

http://twitter.com/TheMrFraz Luke Frazier

Very subjective statement, but I understand that anyone who believes as much would want a Wii U, no doubt.

Jesseman

No it doesn’t. Do you even own one? I do, and I strongly disagree.

MarioLand

Wow, no it really doesn’t. It has Zombie-U, NintendoLand another New Super Mario and then a bunch of ports. THAT is the best launch library ever?
The Dreamcast actually had one of the best launch libraries ever, even the original PlayStation had a better launch lineup than the Wii-U.

RJ

Wrong as always, Steve. You probably don’t even own a U.

Vampiric

what a pos article

The wii u is sold out. People want it

http://twitter.com/OldLeafNick Nick Cane

You seem very angry that someone on the internet has a different opinion than you. Seek help.

Nomorevampiric

That’s him. I hadn’t heard from him in a while and I thought his anger finally got the best of him and had killed himself. Wishfull thinking.

http://twitter.com/TheMrFraz Luke Frazier

I did not mean to insult you. Rather, I thought I’d ask what type of audience is interested in buying one out of the gate (other than those who are avoiding potential future shortages, of course).

MarioLand

Um, no it’s not sold out. There are plenty available at every major store near me, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, even Gamestop. Apparently people don’t want it the way they wanted the Wii.

TruthHurts

Hello, got anything to say now? Didn’t think so.

Bitch Slapped

I guess we know the truth now. No one wants it

brianc6234

I don’t want one. I’ll wait for the PS4. Sony’s games are better. Nintendo is boring. The same few games over and over.

Vampiric

troll pos

http://www.facebook.com/JonathanRider Johnny Rider

Oh yeah because Sony’s games aren’t pretty much the same ones over and over again.

http://gamers-association.com/ Alex Wen

As a frequent early adapter…every console feels like an investment for the future. After all, even if a console came out with 5 awesome games, it’d still lose out to a console that had a steady stream of games come out for years. In some sense, the Wii U may be the safest bet. After all, Nintendo probably has the best track record (in terms of making quality games) of any developer.

brianc6234

Sony has a much better track record now. They actually come up with new IP’s every generation too.

http://www.facebook.com/JonathanRider Johnny Rider

They come up with ‘new’ IPs which are pretty much new versions of already existing IPs. Case in point – Uncharted, clearly they just went let’s make a Tomb Raider type game with a male character. BAM! “ermahgerd, $0ny r soOOO oranginul.”

Jay Curtis

Not really, there are clearly a lot of similarities between Uncharted and Tomb Raider, but in terms of gameplay the two games are very different. The Uncharted franchise especially broke away from Tomb Raider with the second installment.

UnbiasedHCGamer

It’s useless to have a back and forth with a fanboy. They always exaggerate their facts and in the end lack Ny common sense. Most of the time they don’t even own the system/s in question. Don’t waste your time.

http://twitter.com/TheMrFraz Luke Frazier

I see where you’re coming from…I dunno, I just feel like other Nintendo consoles have come out with either at least one must buy title or something just as good announced for the near future.

Nintendo made a whole lot more systems than the Wii because it didn’t want a disaster on their hands where they couldn’t get people’s money (via no one having the system). GIMME DAT WII U

http://twitter.com/TheMrFraz Luke Frazier

What makes you want a Wii U at the present moment? Just curious.

http://www.gamers-association.com/ Andrew Moreno

Well if I got it free hell yes I would take one so I can play mario cart.

Jesseman

He asked what would make you want one at the present moment and you come up with aa game that came out over 4 and a half years ago? Or are you talking about a phantom game? Ooookay.

http://www.gamers-association.com/ Andrew Moreno

Yes I would want the WII U just to experience the Mario Cart or Zelda for it. I don’t care if its out for the WII, Gamecube, or N64.

wolfniggr

You responded to luke’s question about why wanting one at the present moment with “just to experience Mario kart or Zelda”.
At the “moment” there is no Mario Kart or Zelda game for the U.
So you want a U right now for games that don’t exist. Is that correct?

http://www.facebook.com/andrew.moreno.9041 Andrew Moreno

I see where your coming from. No I would just want to get the WII U when the games are out. Thanks for the clarifying.

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